- What Is Speech Sound Progression?
- How Clear Should My Child’s Speech Be?
- Why Do Children Say Some Sounds Differently?
- When Might Speech Clarity Be a Concern?
- How Can a Specialist Help?
- Supporting Speech Clarity at Home
- When Should You Seek Advice?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Speech Sound Progression?
Your child might have plenty to say, but sometimes you’re the only person who can understand it. You may find yourself interpreting for grandparents, educators or other children. Or perhaps you’ve noticed that people outside your family regularly ask your child to repeat themselves. It’s common for young children to make speech sound errors while they’re learning to talk. They don’t learn every sound at once, and speech generally becomes clearer as they grow. So how clear should your child’s speech be at different ages—and when is it worth seeking advice?
Speech sound progression refers to how children learn to produce the sounds in words so other people can understand what they’re saying. It’s different from language development. Speech is how words sound when we say them. For example, a child might say:
- “tat” instead of “cat”
- “wabbit” instead of “rabbit”
- “ca” instead of “cat”.
Language is how children understand and use words, sentences and ideas to communicate. This encompasses their vocabulary development and ability to share thoughts. This means a child can have lots of words and use long sentences but still be difficult to understand. Another child might speak very clearly but find it harder to understand instructions or put their ideas into sentences. Some children experience challenges with both.
If you’re looking for a broader overview of children’s communication development and how speech pathology can help, read our Speech Therapy for Kids A Parent Guide is a helpful place to start.
How Clear Should My Child’s Speech Be?
Speech clarity gradually develops throughout the early years. Parents and caregivers who spend lots of time with a child will often understand much more of their speech than someone who doesn’t know them well. That’s why we consider how easily both familiar and unfamiliar listeners can understand a child. The ages below are general guides. There can be considerable variation between children, and a speech-language pathologist will also consider the particular sounds and speech patterns a child is using.
Around 2 Years
Speech is still developing quickly at this age. Parents and regular caregivers will often understand their child better than people who don’t know them well. It’s common for unfamiliar listeners to have difficulty understanding some of what a two-year-old says. Children are still learning many speech sounds and may simplify words as they learn how to coordinate increasingly complex sounds.
Around 3 Years
By around three, children’s speech is becoming clearer, although people who don’t know the child may still have difficulty understanding everything, they say. Research measuring children’s speech with unfamiliar listeners suggests an average three-year-old may be understood around half of the time. Children may still:
- simplify longer words
- leave out some sounds
- replace more difficult sounds with easier ones.
Some of these patterns can be part of typical speech sound progression at this age.
Around 4 Years
By around four, people who don’t know the child should be able to understand much more of what they say. Research suggests an average four-year-old may be understood around 75% of the time. Some errors with later-developing speech sounds may still occur. Being understood also becomes increasingly important as children communicate with educators and other children at kindergarten and in the community.
Around 5 Years
By around five, speech is generally much easier for unfamiliar listeners to understand. Research suggests an average five-year-old may be understood around 90% of the time. Some later-developing sounds, particularly r and th, may continue developing through the preschool years and into early school age. These percentages are guides rather than pass-or-fail milestones. Speech clarity varies between children, and age is only one part of understanding a child’s communication.
Why Do Children Say Some Sounds Differently?
Learning to speak involves coordinating lots of different sounds and movements. Young children often simplify words while they’re developing these skills. You might hear:
- Replacing one sound with another
Examples: “wabbit” instead of “rabbit”, “fum” instead of “thumb” - Leaving a sound out
Examples: “nana” instead of “banana”, “ca” instead of “cat” - Simplifying groups of sounds
Examples: “poon” instead of “spoon”, “tar” instead of “star”
Whether a particular speech pattern is expected depends on your child’s age, which sounds they’re finding difficult and the way the errors are occurring. That’s why speech sound norms aren’t used as a single cut-off for deciding whether a child needs support. A specialist looks at the overall pattern of a child’s speech and how it affects their ability to communicate.
Our Articulation Development guide looks more closely at how children’s speech sounds develop and when different errors may be worth monitoring.
When Might Speech Clarity Be a Concern?
One of the things we often see in our pediatric speech therapy practice is a child who has lots they want to say, but their family finds themselves regularly interpreting for them. Sometimes the child isn’t particularly bothered by this. For other children, not being understood can become frustrating or make it harder to participate in conversations and play.
It may be helpful to speak with a Speech Pathologist if:
- family members regularly struggle to understand your child
- people outside your family find their speech difficult to understand
- your child frequently becomes frustrated when people don’t understand them
- speech clarity is making it harder to participate at childcare, kindergarten or school
- particular speech errors are continuing beyond the age when they would usually be expected.
You don’t need to work out which speech sounds your child “should” have mastered before asking for advice. A speech-language pathologist can look at the overall pattern of your child’s speech, their age and how their communication is affecting everyday life.
How Can a Specialist Help?
A speech-language pathologist can assess how your child is producing speech sounds and look for patterns in the errors they’re making. They’ll also consider how easily your child is understood and how their speech is affecting communication in everyday situations. If support is recommended, therapy is tailored to your child’s individual speech needs.
For young children, this may involve games, books, play and conversation while practising particular speech sounds or patterns. The aim isn’t “perfect” speech. It’s helping your child communicate more clearly and confidently with the people around them.
Supporting Speech Clarity at Home
You don’t need to constantly correct your child’s speech. In fact, repeatedly asking a child to say a word again can sometimes make communication frustrating. Instead, you can model the word naturally. If your child says: “I see a tat!” you might respond: “Yes, you can see the cat!” Your child hears the correct production without having to stop the conversation and repeat it.
Other helpful everyday strategies include:
- speaking clearly and naturally
- giving your child time to finish what they’re saying
- reading and talking together
- modelling words rather than repeatedly correcting errors
- creating plenty of relaxed opportunities for conversation.
When Should You Seek Advice?
Every child’s speech develops differently, and some speech sound errors are expected along the way. What matters is the overall picture: your child’s age, the speech patterns they’re using, how easily other people understand them and whether their speech is affecting everyday communication. Seeking advice doesn’t automatically mean your child will need therapy. Sometimes families need reassurance or strategies to try at home. Other times, an assessment can identify areas where some additional support may be helpful.
If you’re wondering whether it’s time to speak with someone about your child’s communication, our When Should Speech Therapy Start? guide explains what to consider and what taking that next step can look like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should strangers be able to understand my 2-year-old?
Not all of the time. Parents and familiar caregivers often understand a two-year-old better than someone who doesn’t know them. Speech generally becomes increasingly clear over the following years.
Is it normal for children to say some sounds incorrectly?
Yes. Children don’t develop every speech sound at once, and some speech sound errors are expected during development. Whether a particular error is expected depends on your child’s age, the sound or speech pattern involved and how the overall pattern affects their ability to be understood.
Will my child grow out of speech sound errors?
Some speech errors change naturally as children develop, while other children benefit from additional support. If you’re unsure about the speech patterns you’re hearing or how easily your child can be understood, a speech-language pathologist can help you understand whether monitoring or further support may be appropriate.